Defense Reappears in CSUDH's 65-56 Win Over Game Seawolf Club

(PHOTO: KEADRICK WASHINGTON)

Box Score

CARSON, Calif. -- Tonight's defensive effort didn't hold visiting Sonoma State to under the half-century mark, but a markedly improved show stopped SSU when it counted as Cal State Dominguez Hills got back on the winning track with a 65-56 lead over the visitors, led by Tim McLaurin's 17 point and 5 rebound effort. With the win, CSUDH improves to 9-10, 9-5 CCAA.

The Toros jumped all over the visitors from the first tip, scoring the game's first 11 points over the first seven minutes of play, with McLaurin accounting for the final four of the run.

SSU then took its turn, outscoring CSUDH 17-6 over the next eight minutes to knot the game at 17-17 on a Steven Pratt lay-up with 5:37 left in the first half. That run proved a preview of things to come, as the two teams tied twice more before a Will Olsem triple with 59 ticks left gave Sonoma State a 25-24 lead entering the half.

CSUDH started the second half like it did the first, scoring 16 of the first 20 points to build its lead to 11 at 40-29, the last two coming on an Amir Aguilar tip-in with 14:01 left in regulation.

After the Seawolves trimmed their deficit to seven at 40-33 on a Chad Chambers 3-pointer, CSUDH stretched its lead double-figure on an ensuing Jamel Ward triple, and then to its largest lead of 17 on a Marcquintice Davis lay-up with 5:23 left, all but putting the game away.

To their credit, SSU battled and whittled its point differential to just five with 1:25 left, but eight made free throws in 10 opportunities down the stretch sealed the Seawolves fate, giving the Toros a split of their current homestand.

The Seawolves, who fell to 6-13, 5-9 CCAA, were held to 33.3% shooting from the field, and were out-rebounded by a whopping 40-25 margin.

Ward chipped in 13, Davis 12 and Michael Cox 10 for the Toros, winners of four of their last five and seven of their last nine.

CSUDH, now at 9-10, 9-5 CCAA, takes to the road the next two weekends before returning home on Friday, February 19, in their biggest homestand of the year as CS San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona visit Carson, with both CCAA and NCAA Tournament consideration on the line.

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